


Deep Blue (Lesbians)

by trashingit



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Mythology, F/F, LESBIANS OKAY, Mermaids, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Near Death Experiences, Ocean, Other, Pirates, Sirens, Slow Burn, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-11-08 08:41:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20832596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashingit/pseuds/trashingit
Summary: Garnet and Pearl are world renown sailors, bringing in only the finest fish and squid to land. Battling carcinogenic waves as well as using their unusual knack of finding rare treasures to their advantage, they have one thing in common; they don't believe in mythical creatures, no matter how many rumors and folktales circulate.However, when two beings come for their help only hours before their weekend of relaxation, both sailors realize that their entire lives are about to change.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS !

_The great, deep blue._

Many people were afraid of it. _How deep did the ocean go? What or who resided in the miles and miles of water once the sun’s light ceased?_ For other people, they adored the ocean. Whether they loved the food that came out of it, the rare treasures to_ ooh_ and _aww_ at, or just enjoyed the scenery of climate that dressed more than half of the planet’s surface.

The ocean also held many, many secrets and myths that captured the attention of those all around the planet. Mysterious tales of non-human creatures that swam in its depths. Mermaids, sirens, hydras and krakens. Those who searched land for vampires and werewolves also obsessively researched the seas for their aquatic counterparts. Of course, people throughout history had claimed to meet these creatures, but no proper record or confirmation had ever actually proven the existence of them. They were folktales passed down from generations, and that’s how it would be until possibly one day, a creature did make itself known to the human eye.

But most importantly, working at sea _really_ brought in some big bucks.

The sun was high in the cloudless sky, a great ball of light thrown up in the big blue cover of Earth. So-so waves hurtled into the wooden, jaded hull of the ship, and the sounds of water and occasional cry of a gull was music to a sea fanatic’s ears. It was only early noon, and it looked like today, weather was on their side. Today would be perfect.

Perched against the base of the sturdy crow’s nest was Garnet. With her hand pressed to her temple—despite constantly wearing her own pair of sunglasses—she fixed her gaze over the expansion of crystal blue before her as she took in a breath of the sea salt that surrounded all around. They were right on track to their next arrival. Soon, they’d met with the next suppliers, they’d receive their next paycheck, and then it’d be celebration. A gleeful smile pulled her lips.

“It’s already one?” The voice of her fellow sailor prompted her head to turn from the sea, no matter how tempted she was to just stare and stare all day.

“We’ll be at the next trading post by three.” She stepped down from the very edge of the bow, well-worn boots percussing against the floorboards with rhythm. It was about time to check their stowed away currency and upgrade their transportation if possible. Pearl was visibly pleased by the news, even as she attempted to adjust and fix her top for the fifth time that hour.

"Perfect! We’re ahead of schedule then! We’ll have plenty of time to stroll through the markets and shops,” the peach haired woman’s exclamation was followed with an exasperated sigh as her oversized shirt rolled past her equally gigantic belt again, “then I can actually buy my _own_ clothes.”

They’d been on sea for two weeks now. Their harvest was great, but for once, Pearl managed to completely miscalculate the amount of clothes she needed to bring. With her lack of clean shirts and her refusal to wash her laundry in the sea, Garnet’s spare polo tops and trousers were the only other options she had for the past three days. “It’s Friday.”

"I completely forgot!” They both adored their job and the sea but being on the road (or the sea) nonstop was tiring. Every other weekend was spent on land, celebrating their monthly haul and spending until four in the morning laughing at their countless stories so hard that even_ Garnet_ cried. “When was the last time we slept in past six?”

“Since the last time we slept on land.” Being a sailor had its perks. Sure, they were practically banking it, and sure, throughout their adventures they had both grown a fair amount of strength and muscle, but it was tiring work, and being able to sleep past even sunrise was a rarity and luxury. “Tell me what else we need to do before we dock.”

"We need to transfer all of the cargo to the deck.” The thin sailor cupped her palms against each other, bringing her arms into an overarched stretch over her head. “We also need to gather all of our fishing nets and lock them up. We’ve still got those doubloons down bilge, correct?”

The duo was acclaimed for the feed they brought to land, but unlike other renown sailors, they had somehow managed to grab a magnetic attraction of rich treasures along their voyages. Of course, it was usually at the expense of ripping one of their nets, or one of them nearly drowning trying to retrieve the reflections of treasures they spotted under the waves. “Yes.”

“Perfect! Then we’re set!” Pearl clapped her hands together in delight. “I just need to restore them, and we’re ready to dock!”

Would she trade her job for anything else? Not a chance.

Muscles strained as the last, heavy crate of exports was hauled out of the drab hold of the ship and out onto the much more open deck. By the time Garnet had piled the last package on top of the towering stack, every nerve in her biceps felt like fire. Their weekend of relaxation would be well worth it, as well as the couple of grand that they’d earn for their catch.

The tall woman crammed her sleeves as far as they’d go over her elbows, even if she knew they’d fall back down in a few minutes. Pearl was the smarts of their duo; she handled steering the ship, the transactions of their sales, and did help as much as she could with the actual collection of fish and squid and everything in between. However, the slimmer’s physical strength compared to Garnet’s was…sub-par, but she was a monster when it came to handling swords.

“Do you think we should invest in purchasing something that can help carry all of our cargo?” With a final wipe of her clammy brow, she leaned back against the railing, relishing in the cool breeze that soothed her overheated muscles. Past her darkened visors, she rolled her eyes at Pearl’s question.

“No,” she responded unequivocally, “I’m enough.”

“You’re really suiting up to the hardened sailor stereotype.” Pearl momentarily glanced up from her pile of papers to jestingly stink eye her coworker. “Aren’t you just lucky there aren’t any tarantulas out on sea?”

Garnet shook off the statement with a genuine chuckle at the sheer truth of it. She couldn’t deny it; she despised spiders, and even if it was rather embarrassing, considering she battled perilous and carcinogenic monsters of waves on a monthly basis, she found that as long as she could tease the other back, her embarrassment could be shared and less excessive. “I’m not the one that cries at the sight of a corgi.”

“I deserved that,” Pearl admitted, though looked like she _badly _wanted to retort her response with an explanation with the bright cherry suddenly invading her pale cheeks. “Thank the stars there’s no such thing as sea-dogs.”

“Pirate werewolves,” the dark woman pointed out.

“Oh, don’t scare me like that, we both know werewolves don’t exist!” With Pearl’s rather terrified rebuttal, Garnet laughed off the subject with an agreed chuckle. If there was one thing they had in common, it was the disbelief and rejection of mythical creatures. Non-crustaceans that breathed underwater? Women who could kill with their very voices? Humans who could drain others of their blood and lifeline with nothing but their teeth? It wasn’t logical, _not at all_.

A dull yet notable sound from the starboard side of the ship prompt both of them to quiet their voices. They paused for any sounds following, indicating they could be shoring past a rough patch of coral. When it was apparent it was merely the wood setting, Pearl continued.

“Isn’t it time we buy a new ship?”

“_Sardonyx_ still has life in her,” The_ S.S. Sardonyx_ was their pride and joy. She was a little wooden one, modest in size, but did she have fight in her. Battling through the worst of storms, and apparently an ambush repellent, she was a platonic love child between the two. They both loved her even if it was apparent she was nearing the end of her days.

“Aren’t I rude? How could I even ask?” Passively disappointed in herself, the peach haired sailor finally set her papers down against the binnacle. She ran a hand through her hair, obviously balked at the brunette roots that were starting to peak through the dye. “We really deserve this weekend off, don’t we?”

“We’re only an hour away from vacation.” She certainly didn’t show it, but she was ecstatic for their break. She loved the sea, but thinking about staying inside an actual building, sleeping in something other than a tiny bunk made her heart flutter. She could imagine it now; by tonight she’d be cuddled by a fire with a warm cup of tea in her hands while Pearl went into depth on the_ horrible_ color of the curtains.

Another _thump_ from the keel of the ship. Looked like they had just a bit more work to do before their weekend of relaxation.

“Perfect,” Pearl groaned as she pushed herself off from the ship’s hulking helm. “If we’ve got another leakage on our hands!”

“_Sardonyx_ has had her fair share of damage. She can handle it. If you’re that concerned about bilge water, check if we’re hitting a rough patch,” her response was met with a curt nod of agreement, even if she was far from concerned for their boat. They had experienced many run ins with barnacles, reefs, and at one point, they’d nearly sunken. It would take much more to end their streak of luck.

“We’ll have to get her inspected when we dock.” Pale hands firmed against the adamant railing, throwing her back arward so she could give Garnet one last incurious look from over her shoulder. Then she tossed herself towards the edge of the boat, and if the other didn’t have the flexibility and experience she did, she would’ve been afraid she’d ardently thrown herself over the side.

She did, however, panic when the other let out a shrill, horrified _shriek._

She immediately jumped from her position, expecting the absolute worst from a reaction like that. She dashed forward with as much speed as possible as the other pulled back from the edge, her expression as intense as her scream had been. However, when she propelled her upper half forward to peer over the water below, she saw nothing.

_Absolutely Nothing._

“I-I-“ At this point, she had no idea whether to get the shorter to calm down or to coax her to continue. She looked as if she’d seen a dead body, which, to be fair, wasn’t an absurd possibility.

“Tell me what you saw.” As composed as she sounded, she was confused as hell. Pearl wasn’t the one to freak out, besides from dogs, and she also wasn’t the one to jump to conclusions either.

“I-It was a-“ Garnet settled her hands to the thinner’s shoulders when they began to shudder, an obvious sign of terror that was setting in. “A _woman_!”

_ A woman?_

“Dead! H-Hypothermic?!” As if she hadn’t nearly died moment before, Pearl pushed herself away from the taller in order to peer back into the ocean. “She was blue! Garnet, I don’t just see things!”

“That’s why I’m convinced,” if Pearl really had seen a human just floating along the surface of the sea, then they needed to be as quick as they could rescuing her from the biting waters and warm her up and_ try_ to save her. She followed in the other’s footsteps, peeking over the side of _Sardonyx_ in order to at least try to see where Pearl was coming from.

Then, she saw it.

A swift flash of attenuated blue just under the surface. The pair simultaneously flinched and recoiled at the sighting, with another cry of alarm from Pearl. She wasn’t just seeing things. _There was a woman under the water._

“W-Wait,” Panicked, pale hands began to hurriedly thump against the steel sidings, her voice quavered and inconsistent. “If it is a human, and she’s hypothetically dead or near dead, then why is she moving so fast?!”

As if they weren’t already in a panic, Pearl’s eyes bulged at her own words, realization hitting her like a ton of bricks, and if Garnet didn’t have her visors, her expression would’ve been the exact same. “Y-You don’t think? -“

_ A non-human._ They didn’t even have to say it out loud.

More hesitant this time, both women turned their heads back towards the ocean, cautiously observing the seaway for any more signs of unusual movement. Sure enough, another dash of beryl flamed past the shallows, though this time it looked as if it was traveling closer.

Sure enough, their horrors were confirmed. A cerulean face broke the surface of the water, deep, ultramarine strands of hair cladding the sides of her jaw. Saying that Garnet and Pearl shrieked was an understatement.

It was unreal. Garnet’s mind immediately recognized the features of the other. Historic paintings and descriptions of a creature that lured sailors to their death with their voices, stealing their loot and sinking their ships; a rare, gorgeous siren.

_This can’t be real, right?_

The creature, in return, seemed to stare directly back at the two. Her expression was devoid of any emotion, and she was so stickly still that if she wasn’t blinking, she would’ve thought she was a statue.

Finally, the long, shocked silence was broken. “Do humans just stare?”

“S-She’s talking to us?” In a whisper, as if the other wasn’t literally just feet away from them and couldn’t hear, Pearl expressed her confusion and consoled Garnet that she wasn’t the only one dumb out of her mind.

“I’m moving my mouth, right?” A cynical sneer from the one in the water immediately shut the peach haired woman up, more than willing to seal her lips. Her—was it a she? —moved to Garnet, expecting her to interrupt. When she didn’t, she grinned with accomplishment, before continuing. “Help me, and I won’t indoctrinate and drown you both. Got it?”

When the two were unable to respond, she snapped again. “_Got it?_” Finally yet speechlessly acknowledging her command with a nod, both Pearl and Garnet began to return to their senses, even with shock still skyrocketing.

“Perfect. Listen,” she drifted just a bit closer to the surface, allowing them a better view of the rest of her body. Sure enough, the historic descriptions had been pretty accurate. A sinuous, free toga was her choice of wear, and they both had to admit, both her voice and physical appearance was attractive. She was _definitely_ a siren. “I need help. One of you stupid humans left waste in my ocean, and now my friend is caught. You create the problem, you solve it. Understand?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Perfect,” without another moment of hesitant, the siren grinned again, and dipped back into the ocean, leaving the human duo without a clue, soundlessly staring where the third had once been.

“Am I dreaming, Garnet?” With eyes still the size of dinner plates, the thinner straightened back to the deck, her hands still violently gripping the ship’s poor railing. “Y-You saw that, too, right?”

“Yes,” even she was showing signs of franticness. Her thumb was tapping against her index finger, and why was she sweating so hard? _This had to be some sort of prank!_

Despite her hopeful thoughts, she knew that was impossible. How could someone swim in such cold ocean so far away from shore just to what? Just to prank a pair of innocent sailors? If anything, the siren was much more realistic than that. “Are we going to have to bring her to the deck if she needs assistance?”

“Get the net ready,” Pearl was right, unless the siren was expecting one of them to submerge themselves into the ocean, they’d need to get things ready to safely transport her ‘friend’ to the deck. She watched as Pearl practically sprinted back to the hold as she set the killick out over the side of _Sardonyx_ and readied the rigging. After triple checking that all the ropes and hooks were set firmly in place, she turned her attention back to Pearl, who had gathered their strongest and largest mesh into her arms. It spilled over her arms with the sheer size of it, and as she literally threw it onto the siding, she nearly tripped over her own heels.

As they worked together to ready the net, another_ thump, thump, thump_ from the ocean captured their attention again. Almost with fear, she leaned over the edge again, greeted once more with the face of the siren, and much to her surprise, another face.

It was obvious the blue woman had her arms wrapped over the shorter’s waist, supporting her with her strength. This one looked much more… _human_. Beautiful, lavender hair spilled past her shoulders and into the ocean, though her tan face was obviously pained. They had a first aid kit in their bunks; would that work for mythical creatures, too?

“One of you needs to come down here and help her up, and she can’t stay out of water for too long,” Garnet and Pearl glimpsed at each other in silent unison. Garnet would have a much easier time hauling the woman up to the deck. Pearl bent down to roll up her pantaloon legs past her knees and slipped off her socks and shoes, ungraciously hurling them towards the middle of the deck. With Garnet aiding her past the ship’s railing, the other’s body adroitly spiraled into the waves below, followed closely with one end of the net.

Even the most hardened and experienced sailors never grew accustomed to the shock of ice, cold water. She wasn’t too alarmed when the other stayed under the surface for a few long moments before floundering past the water with a great, breathless gasp, air knocked from her lungs. Her hand snatched onto the mesh as she worked to simultaneously keep herself above the surface and focus on to the two right next to her.

“You try anything funny with her, and I warm up my vocal cords, got it?” Pearl nodded with apprehension as the siren hauled the second woman closer to thinner’s free arm. She was conscious with bandaging her arm over the tanner’s waist, especially when a shallow grunt of pain glissaded past her lips and the siren looked as if she was about to open her jaw.

“I’ll be as gentle as I can, alright?” Despite facing immediate death right in front of her, Pearl spoke in a calm matter to the hurt woman, untangling the net and readdressing it carefully over the shorter’s body. The woman, in return, nodded feebly, and aided Pearl as much as she could in readying herself to be lifted to the ship. However, the slim sailor paused suddenly as she managed to lasso the net under the woman, much to Garnet’s confusion.

“Garnet,” with her voice near silent and quivered, she paused her work to glance back up to her coworker still on the ship, her expression startled. “You’re going to want to prepare yourself. Bring her up.”

She nodded, snapping both of her hands over the rugged rope holding the rigging in place. With as much strength as she could summon, she hauled the lining over her shoulder. The near silent groaning as the equipment strained with the weight it was lifting let her know that so far, they were free from cessation.

“Hurry, she needs to be back in the water as fast as possible!” With the siren’s threatening snap, Garnet strained her muscles further, until she was sure the net was far enough up the port that she could carry the woman up the rest of the way. She tied the rope against the main gear, making sure it was secure, before hurrying back to the balustrade.

Pearl was right to be prepared.

The woman was certainly much more human-like than the siren. Tan skin was interrupted by a veritable looking maillot, before continuing down her stomach. From her waist, however, instead of a pair of legs, Garnet was incredibly aghast to meet_ the fin of a fish_.

“A mermaid.” Despite her shock, she could exactly see why the siren was coming to them for help. What looked like abandoned fishing gear was trapped over the lilac fin, and it was definitely apparent that multiple sharp points were penetrating the skin. She wasted no time pulling her body past the railing and attentively slipping her hands under the mermaid’s body. With a quick grunt of effort, the other was lifted into her arms, and pulled the rest of the way over the deck.

“Be careful!” She could understand the blue woman’s caution, though she had to admit it did nothing to rid her anxiety. As carefully as she could, she set the shorter onto the floorboard, quickly scrambling for supplies that she needed. She needed to retrieve a knife, and needed to get a first aid kit stat.

She was swift finding the things she needed, and when she returned to the deck, she was more than surprised to see Pearl and the siren back onto the ship. Her fellow sailor was shivering and lotus against the crow’s nest, while the siren was already right next to the mermaid, whispering unintelligible words of support in her ear. When she noticed her return, and especially the knife in her hand, her eyes immediately narrowed. “You better be careful with that!”

“I’ve done this before.” She kneeled right down against the other’s fin, still a bit hesitant where to start. She plucked at one of the barbs causing the creature pain and was met with another hurting billow. She positioned the blade right next to another prong, though not before tilting her head to give the mermaid a nod of reassurance.

The first cut of the cable prompted a violent jerk from the other, as well as a second yet hushed lament. Thankfully, the cut was enough to unravel a large portion of the gear from the fin, allowing her to observe the wound much closer. From the corner of her eye, she could see the siren inch closer to her friend. “Are you okay?”

The mermaid nodded awkwardly in response. “It hurts less now. She didn’t hurt me, Lapis.”

_ So the siren’s name is Lapis._

She was much swifter with the second cut so that the mermaid didn’t have to endure the pain for long. The initial cut seemed to hurt, but after unraveling cord after cord of fish gear, her breathing grew less tense, though still drewback every now and then with the pain of the wounds left behind.

It didn’t take Garnet long to completely free her from the fetter, quickly brushing it aside as she observed the damage still left behind. It definitely needed to be patched up, and she pulled back to fetch the first aid right at her feet. “I need to work on this.”

“No need. She’s a mermaid,” almost defensively, Lapis pushed Garnet’s hand away much to her dismay. “She needs to get back in the water and rest.”

“You know I won’t be able to swim, Lapis!” A cautious, tan palm fell onto the siren’s shoulder, and Garnet was glad that at least one of them wasn’t being hostile. “You know as well as I do that it’s over if we meet a shark, or less kind humans.”

“We have a big pail that we use for bathing down in the poop deck!” Still shivering and looking near hypothermic, Pearl finally stood up, looking ready to sprint. “Both of you can stay until she’s ready to swim again!”

“As if we’d believe that!” This time, the siren visibly tensed, and Garnet genuinely thought she was about to strike. “And give you the chance to trap her and advertise us off to the rest of your dirty population!”

She looked ready to go off again, though just as she opened her mouth, and the tall woman was ready to wish her final prayer, the mermaid gripped onto the other’s wrist, promptly shutting her up. “We don’t have any other choice, Lapis! You know you can stop them if they try anything!”

Lapis, in return, gaped at her counterpart for a silent while, trying to comprehend her friend’s thoughts. Then, she whipped her head forcefully back to Pearl, her glare sharp and still hostile. “That stupid pail better be big enough for her!”


	2. Clear It Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis and Amethyst give more insight on mythical creatures while Garnet and Pearl worry about getting to land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i swear other chapters will be longer than just 2k words
> 
> its one am

With Lapis threatening the pair for two straight hours, getting everything situated was a terrifying hassle. Knowing that the siren could open her mouth at any time and brainwash both of them and end their lives just like that, they both strove to make everything as perfect as possible. Carefully setting the pail out onto the deck, checking the size before scrupulously refilling it with water, Lapis finally let the pair aid the mermaid into the oversized bucket with a hawk’s eye. The shorter was much more apologetic and friendly to the sailors, apologizing profusely for her friend’s behavior and even insisting that Pearl go change out of her wet clothes.

“My standards for humans aren’t very high,” a snarky reply from the siren perched against the crow’s-nest momentarily reprieved Garnet from her attention on Amethyst. “But you two are surprising me.”

“When you learn to not generalize humans, you’ll be surprised,” Garnet couldn’t blame Lapis for being so cautious. She had to admit; humans altogether were terrible. Maybe that was another reason why she loved the sea, she only had to work with one other human, her _best friend_.

“Well aren’t you just smart,” the blue haired woman’s hostile babble did anger her, but she was the master of keeping her emotions in check, especially when the mermaid sprang to her defense.

“Lapis, you have got to _chill_,” spilling her arms over the sides of the metal pail, Amethyst sent a glance of warning towards her friend. “If it wasn’t for them, something worse could’ve happened to us. Can you calm down?” The siren looked like she was about to protest, though clamped her jaw shut with mild hesitation. Rather than argue, she leaned her head back against the beam she was resting on and looked back towards her home of the ocean. The tan woman in return sighed with defeat, her gaze apologetic as she turned to Garnet. “Let me apologize for her. Our last interaction with humans didn’t go as great.”

“We understand completely.” Returning from below the deck with a warmer set of clothes over her body, Pearl finished slipping the polo’s last button through the slit of fabric. She completely ignored the other woman’s stare down, though her smile never faded as it observed the rest of the ship. “We were just as surprised when your friend first showed up. Though I do suppose mythical creatures already knew about human existence. I think.”

“Yep, we’ve known about you since you first popped up on this planet,” Amethyst seemed mostly disinterested, though it was clear to both humans she was getting some sort of entertainment using the new information as a shock tactic. “Been hiding from you since. We’ve been doing a good job, too,” the mermaid snickered, though her expression slowly evolved from bored entertainment to question and gloom. “Though not going to lie, I kind of like you guys. I hope we don’t have to do the same thing we did to the last pair.”

“What did you do?”

Lapis’s flat voice spoke out this time. “We drowned them. You have to do what you have to do to keep your family safe,” she shrugged.

“That’s why there’s never been trace of any mythical creatures?” The thin woman, while still keeping her distance from both individuals, was trying as much as she could to make things accommodating. Earlier she’d insisted she bring out the old wheelchair they had down below the deck so Amethyst could move around more freely. Lapis promptly laughed, before calling Pearl and idiot and reminding her she had to stay in the water.

“Because we drown them? Sounds a bit sadistic now that I look back,” Amethyst hummed, “I wonder how the land ones cover up.”

Three hours ago, they were ready to spend the weekend in the finest hotel in the next town, get drunk on fancy Bacardi and think about nothing but their next hauls ahead, and how much money they were bound to receive for their catch. Now, they’d both had a revelation and were in charge of an injured mermaid and a siren who wanted to murder them. “Tell us how many different creatures there are.”

“First off, lots of us don’t like being called ‘creatures’,” all three women were shocked to find that it was _Lapis _who decided to take the explanation in her own hands, though with Pearl and Garnet simultaneously still incredibly confused, they stayed silent, allowing her to continue. If they were going to be stuck with her until Amethyst was ready to swim again, they might as well start bonding with Lapis and slowly close the gap between when she was being genuinely friendly and when she was being cruel. “We’re superior to humans. Second, too many to count. You’ve seen it in a story, they probably exist. Mermaids, sirens, pirates, hydras. Not even just in the ocean, you’ve got vampires, werewolves and witches, too. We’re just good at hiding ourselves. That or we get rid of any humans who do see us.”

“Why don’t you just live peacefully with us?”

Lapis snorted with amusement. “After what you guys did to elephants? Rhinoceroses? Tasmanian tigers? Humans have set both themselves and those around them up for extinction. You really think anything good would come out of you knowing about us?”

She _did_ have a point. Not each individual, definitely not herself or Pearl, but humans were selfish as a whole. She understood completely now why they wanted nothing to do with them.

“Are you going to drown us?”

“Maybe. If I feel like it. I can show a nice side if I really like you,” shrugging it off as if she _wasn’t_ threatening to wipe their lives out just like that, Lapis finally threw herself away from the bow, her toga capering adroitly in the breeze, though still kept her distance away from the two humans. She crouched right next to the pail, her head leaned in towards the mermaid as she began to whisper again. It seemed like that might be an ongoing thing until thy departed; Amethyst would have to be the messenger for anything Lapis said that wasn’t a snarky comeback or a threat to drown them.

“That’s too hard to believe,” under her breath, the thin sailor set a palm over Garnet’s shoulder, looking out over the sea with a fearful gaze before returning to find her own reflection in the taller’s visors. “We’re completely off course. We nearly could’ve been there by now.”

“Boohoo, your fish and stolen treasure can wait until _after _Amethyst gets better. We aren’t going anywhere near the land, thank you very much.”

“Our boat, our rules.” There was no way they _weren’t_ docking. They had to stock up on food and supplies and needed to empty enough room to actually collect more stock again. If they couldn’t have a relaxing weekend, which didn’t seem like a possibility anymore, then they could at least stay touched down for at least a few hours without complaint.

“What a joke!” With a great scoff, Lapis crossed her arms across her chest, searching for some sort of back up from the mermaid next to her. Receiving nothing but a glare, she narrowed her eyes again, though with her silence, apparently acknowledged her defeat.

“I can’t believe this, just two hours ago we had no idea all of these mythical…” Remembering Lapis’s words from earlier, Pearl momentarily paused with an attempt to find a word other than creatures to describe their new shipmates, “_individuals _existed. Now we’ve got one we’re taking under our care and another threatening to drown us every other sentence! We’re still late for our delivery!”

They’d definitely get an earful from the business owners waiting for their deliveries. They needed to dock as soon as possible and apologize for the inconvenience, otherwise their reputation might be affected. But how could they do their chores when they also had to look over their new guests? There was no way they could leave them unsupervised on the boat, which meant some way or another, they’d have to bring Lapis and Amethyst onto their journeys, too.

“What do we do? We could use a wheelchair for Amethyst, but if she has to stay in water-“

“Wet towels,” it was a long stretch, but if they wrapped the mermaid’s tail in wet towels and covered it all with a blanket, they could possibly keep her sustained and hydrated enough to get their chores done.

“You’re a genius, Garnet! But what about Lapis?” That would be the _real _problem. Amethyst was easy to cover up, they just had to keep her hydrated and hide her tail and she looked exactly human. But Lapis was _blue_, and not to mention they’d have to keep her temper in check so she didn’t murder an entire town worth of people.

“Most of the rumors we’ve heard about them have been proven true,” Mermaids with fish tails, sirens who could sing a song and drown their victims with ease. “If they’re all right, maybe-“

“She can shapeshift,” concurrently, both heads turned to face the two others on the other side of the deck, still lost in tense-looking chatter. For once, her features weren’t strained or contoured, and she looked relaxed even. She appeared far more composed, and for the first time since Garnet had met her, Lapis didn’t look completely tameless. Finally, the blue woman caught their eyes, and the gentle expression instantly disappeared. Her lip tightened, and with a venomous sneer, sent her own glare back.

“What do you want?” The cerulean siren grunted maliciously with her eyes tapered, though despite _looking_ hostile, she didn’t look brutal by far. If anything, she looked rather _uninterested_. Garnet summed this up as her wanting to get back to her conversation with Amethyst.

With characteristic anxiety, thin fingers locked together against her chest, with her thumbs resting against the soft fabric of her shirt. Pearl bung her head back to sweep away some of the peach hair that had fallen against the side of cheeks before continuing. “We have a question. Can you _transform _your body?”

“Is shapeshifting suddenly a bad word? Of course, I can.” As if it was a well-known fact that sirens shapeshifted, let alone _existed_. “It’s how we lure sailors into the water. Make ourselves look human, sing a song and soon enough we have new treasures to bring back home. Except our gills nor webbing never disappear, obviously, so we have to cover our necks and hands with seaweed if we want to waste our time.”

The solution was as easy as that. Garnet felt a grin crawl at her lips, and without further hesitation, she leaned forward to rest a dark hand over her fellow sailor’s shoulder. When the shorter responded with nothing but silent confusion, her glee increased.

“Let’s get ready for docking.”


End file.
